Originally, Bai Yue Ling really looked down on Taoxiya.
Even though she was the High Priest of Judgment, she was still just a soft, adorable loli catgirl on the outside.
That soft little face with a bit of baby fat was practically begging to be pinched. Her plump, supple curves perfectly formed a charming figure, and her two chubby little legs looked especially fair and enticing against the black trench coat. Her fluffy cat ears and tail added to her cuteness. Just looking at her made you want to scoop her up in your arms and shower her with affection.
Not only was her appearance adorable and charming, but Taoxiya also often ended up on the losing end against Sistana, who was also a High Priest. After Sistana fell to Dark Corruption, she even became Bai Yue Ling’s “sword-sister” and close friend.
So in Bai Yue Ling’s eyes, aside from having a slightly higher level, there wasn’t much to Taoxiya.
As a bratty little girl, she might fear older women, but dealing with a little loli like this? She could handle her easily.
However, Ai Ya’s words just now made Bai Yue Ling dare not underestimate this catgirl loli anymore…
If those judgment nuns were already that terrifying, just how vicious must Taoxiya, the High Priest, be?
“Don’t come near me! Hah! Take one more step and I’ll call my mom!” Bai Yue Ling hid behind Ai Ya and warned.
“Call your mom?” Taoxiya lightly tapped her little gavel and sneered. “The entire cathedral is covered by a soundproof barrier. Even if you scream your throat raw, it won’t do you any good, meow.”
She slowly advanced, her voice cute yet icy: “Confess now. What exactly is your purpose for sneaking into our cathedral in the middle of the night?”
Bai Yue Ling said, “I’m here to discuss something with the Goddess of Judgment!”
Taoxiya narrowed her clever eyes: “You wish to pray to the Goddess?”
“That’s right!”
“Why? Do you have a request for the Goddess?”
“Ugh, it’s a long story!” Bai Yue Ling instinctively began to complain, cupping her soft chest with both hands, accidentally stretching the taut vines around her chest a little wider.
“It’s because your Goddess is way too unreasonable. When it comes to gazing, the Natural Goddess and the Goddess of Fate treat me wonderfully. Only the Goddess of Judgment chases after me like some crazy woman, day in and day out, seeking revenge. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she’s some random small-time lady I offended…”
Once Bai Yue Ling started talking, she couldn’t stop, venting all the resentment she’d accumulated from being tormented by the Goddess of Judgment since the game’s launch.
Wait, why is it so quiet all of a sudden?
She blinked her eyes and saw Taoxiya glaring at her with an ashen face, the little gavel in her hand faintly trembling with the urge to hit someone.
“Good, very good! To dare slander the Goddess of Judgment as a small-time lady right in front of the High Priest of Judgment… Little White, you really are quite brave.”
Bai Yue Ling swallowed hard, thinking to herself, ‘Why did I accidentally blurt out all my inner thoughts again?’
“Wait, that’s not what I meant…”
“Regardless of what you meant, I won’t give you any special treatment.”
Taoxiya walked up to Bai Yue Ling, grabbed her collar, and pulled her down firmly. “If you want to communicate with the Goddess, you have to follow the rules.”
She swished her cat tail and turned to leave, her plump, supple little rear stretching the trench coat into a round, curvaceous shape, like a little honey peach oozing with sweetness.
“Follow me.”
Under Taoxiya’s lead, Bai Yue Ling arrived at a secret underground chamber beneath the Justice Cathedral.
Taoxiya walked to a hidden iron door. The little gavel in her hand suddenly swelled dramatically until it was even taller than she was.
She inserted the arm-thick gavel handle into the keyhole and twisted it with force. Accompanied by a sharp, grating screech, the iron door slowly creaked open, and a thick stench of decay and rust rushed out, making Bai Yue Ling instinctively cover her nose.
Inside were many cold instruments of torture, and the atmosphere was frightening. It was a dark, mysterious space, much like an underground dungeon.
“Come here.” Taoxiya beckoned, pointing at a rust-covered iron bed. “Lie down.”
“What exactly are we doing here?” Bai Yue Ling muttered, but obediently lay down.
Taoxiya didn’t explain. She simply fetched a piece of clothing and tossed it onto Bai Yue Ling: “Change into this.”
Bai Yue Ling stripped off her vine dress and changed into the prisoner’s uniform.
At that moment, Taoxiya brought over a pair of handcuffs and ankle shackles connected by chains, and without a word, clamped them onto Bai Yue Ling.
Bai Yue Ling instantly went on high alert: “Hey, hey! What exactly are you little loli trying to do? I’m not your prisoner!”
She suspected that if she didn’t stop this now, this little catgirl was about to whip out a blindfold and a ball gag.
Ai Ya also asked, “Lady Taoxiya, what exactly is this…”
“You two wait here for a moment. When I come back, I’ll explain everything.” With that, Taoxiya turned and left, and no one knew what she was up to.
Bai Yue Ling and Ai Ya stared at each other, both wearing bewildered expressions.
“Aren’t you a Paladin of the Church of Judgment? Even you don’t know what your High Priest is planning?”
“I don’t know… I’ve never even been to this room before.”
Now Bai Yue Ling had changed into that black-and-white striped prisoner uniform full of “jailhouse chic.” Long sleeves with long pants, the fabric was extremely thin, and she could clearly feel the cold, hard touch of the iron bed.
The handcuffs and ankle shackles were also very sturdy. No amount of brute force could break them. Both chains were only 20 centimeters long, and once they were on, she couldn’t make any large movements at all. It was utterly unbearable.
Just as Bai Yue Ling was wondering whether she should use the vine dress’s bonus skill “Mom!” to summon Sistana, Taoxiya returned.
She was holding a large candelabra, presented before Bai Yue Ling like a blooming rose, with drops of wax slowly dripping down from it.
Bai Yue Ling’s delicate body trembled: “W-What are you going to do?!”
‘No way, my XP System doesn’t include that kind of play…’
However, Taoxiya paid her no mind. She just stood on her tiptoes and lit candles all around the room. Thankfully, they were only for illumination.
Once all the candles were lit, Taoxiya casually tossed the candelabra aside. Her cute little face was filled with solemnity and seriousness.
“According to regulations, those who have not joined the Church of Judgment are not qualified to communicate with the Goddess of Judgment. However, given your special status, I have made an exception…”
With a look of absolute “selflessness” on her face, Taoxiya declared in a deep voice: “If you can pass the three trials personally set by the Goddess of Judgment herself, I will pray for you once.”
[You have triggered a new quest.]
[Quest Name: The Three Trials of the Goddess of Judgment]
[Difficulty: Normal]
[Description: Pass the three trials.]
[Reward: Qualification to pray to the Goddess of Judgment.]
[Note: Originally, the Church of Judgment was very proper, but ever since winning the Divine War, the church has been unable to judge any criminals for a long time. With their inner desires having no outlet, they gradually became strange… These three trials were set 500 years ago when the Goddess of Judgment descended to the mortal world in avatar form to inspect the church. She devised them from the insights she gained from her followers. It is said that if you pass the trials, even if you face the Church of Judgment’s torture and interrogation, you will be able to handle it with ease.]
The quest name sounded pretty impressive, but the difficulty was only Normal, huh… Bai Yue Ling let out a light snort and said with full confidence, “Bring it on.”
“Alright. The first trial is…” Taoxiya’s little gavel tapped lightly against the wall, and three holes immediately opened in the floor, from which three identical treasure chests rose up.
“There are three treasure chests here. One of them holds the key to your ankle shackles, while the other two are ‘Mimics’ made of slimes. You need to find your key among the three chests. If you choose wrong, the slime will punish you.”
“But don’t worry. These slimes are rigorously trained torture devices. Once they catch their prey, they will only perform the ‘flogging’ action. They won’t do unspeakable things to defeated adventurers like wild slimes do.”
“So then, good luck?”